Colleen Shalby

In the fire zones, an immigrant workforce warily carries out cleanups Months after the Eaton fire, a largely immigrant workforce clears homes of ash and debris in Altadena amid health risks and threat of immigration raids.

Hundreds of homes in Altadena survived the fire, but have remained filled with ash and toxins. Efforts to clean those homes have been largely carried out by immigrant workers who have risked their health and, with ongoing raids, the lives they have built

L.A. Times journalists vote to authorize newsroom’s first open-ended strike — Media Guild of the West Eighty-five percent of the Los Angeles Times Guild, the union that represents reporters, editors, designers, photographers and other journalists at the West Coast’s largest newspaper, voted this week ...

85% of LA Times Guild journalists voted to authorize union leaders to call a strike if deemed necessary. This is a first for our union

In the fire zones, an immigrant workforce warily carries out cleanups Months after the Eaton fire, a largely immigrant workforce clears homes of ash and debris in Altadena amid health risks and threat of immigration raids.

"These efforts to clean.. have largely been carried out by immigrant workers who have not just risked their health while clearing homes of toxic material and debris but, with ongoing raids, the lives they have built in California."
great story by @cshalby.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/california/s...

In the fire zones, an immigrant workforce warily carries out cleanups Months after the Eaton fire, a largely immigrant workforce clears homes of ash and debris in Altadena amid health risks and threat of immigration raids.

In the fire zones, an immigrant workforce warily carries out cleanup

@cshalby.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/california/s...

LAX has fallen in global airport rankings. Will a pre-Olympics transformation help? Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive John Ackerman describes ongoing challenges at LAX and the $30-billion overhaul he believes will significantly improve the experience.

The LAX People Mover was expected to open in Jan. 2026. Now, officials hope it will open in time for the World Cup next June, but are working on contingency plans.

I spoke with LAWA CEO about the airport's ongoing challenges + hopes for the future www.latimes.com/california/s...

As tree removals continue in Altadena, residents raise concerns over future Local arborists believe that Altadena has already lost at least 50% of its pre-Eaton fire tree canopy and fear for further loss.

As new property owners in Altadena clear private land for construction and as tree removals by the county pick up, the future of the town’s canopy remains in question www.latimes.com/california/s...

What Will It Take to Complete California’s High Speed Rail? KQED's Forum · Episode

🎧 Listen to the podcast!

Transit reporters @cshalby.bsky.social and Ralph Vartabedian spoke with @mina-kim.bsky.social about California's slow-moving high speed rail project and what it will take to complete construction.

🔗

Thanks for the discussion

Update: Metro's ridership numbers fell to its lowest numbers of the year in June after a 13.5% drop from May www.latimes.com/california/s...

L.A. bus ridership plummets amid fears of immigration arrests In an incident in Pasadena witnessed and videotaped by several residents, immigration officials took away several people waiting at a bus stop, raising the fear that public transit is being targeted f...

Metro bus and rail ridership has dropped up to 15% since recent ICE raids.

An incident this week at a Pasadena bus stop has brought new fear for riders who rely on public transit (w/ @hannahfry.bsky.social + Christopher Buchanan)

All of LA is not a ‘war zone.’ We separate facts from spin and disinformation amid immigration raids What's actually happening during the ICE sweeps and protests across Los Angeles.

All of LA is not a 'war zone.' We separate facts from spin and disinformation amid immigration raids

The LAX/Metro transit center opens today, bringing LA one step closer to an airport rail connection. The station is about 2.5 miles from LAX. Travelers will take shuttles to and from until the people mover train opens next year www.latimes.com/california/s...

Metro committee moves forward on $9.4-billion budget as Olympics funding remains uncertain Metro's finance, budget and audit committee approved a $9.4-billion budget. Transit agency leaders warned of a future funding deficit and said that federal and state money remains uncertain, potential...

Metro moved forward on its $9.4 billion budget while uncertainties around future funding remain.

Newsom's latest budget revision pulls $17.6 million from state's highway fund towards Olympics but ignores a $2 billion request for state agencies' transit operations.

Olympics water taxi service between Long Beach, San Pedro takes a step forward In a push for a transit-first Olympics, Los Angeles County leaders move forward on plan to launch a water taxi between San Pedro and Long Beach.

And now taxis, but make them float.

@cshalby.bsky.social on a water taxi that could ferry Olympic fans from San Pedro to Long Beach. www.latimes.com/california/s...

I spoke with business owners who have reopened since the fire. Inside their shops and eateries, normalcy returns. Outside, trucks haul debris and reminders of what was lost in the fire are on full display.

“Don’t leave us behind,” one said.

Photo of destroyed building in front of one that survived

FEMA tasked Army Corps to clean up fire debris at private residences, some public buildings and places of worship — but not commercial properties.

In Altadena, the business districts are still lined with rubble and the shells of gutted shops and restaurants. www.latimes.com/california/s...

Their homes survived the fire. Will a cleanup operation across the street pose new danger? Most of the homes around the Altadena Golf Course survived the Eaton fire. Residents are concerned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' debris operation on its grounds could pose new danger.

A concrete recycling operation is going up in the middle of an Altadena neighborhood that largely survived the fire.

Residents who expected to return soon have been told the work is safe but have seen no proof and fear the plans pose new danger.

"We are just totally and utterly trapped."

Inside the L.A. Times: Buyouts, AI blowback — L.A. Times Guild - Los Angeles Times Guild Buyouts hit newsroom hard, irreplaceable institutional knowledge lost

Latest issue of the L.A. Times Guild Eagle: Our latest updates to you on the loss of even more irreplaceable staff and our owner's push to weave Artificial Intelligence into our work.

latguild.com/news/2025/3/...

Power lines suspected of starting Eaton fire were overdue for 'ignition risk' repairs Southern California Edison knew for years that its transmission towers around Eaton Canyon posed a risk of sparking a fire, company records show, with repairs long overdue.

Whether Southern California Edison was responsible for sparking the Jan. 7 Eaton blaze remains to be seen, but company records uncovered by The Times show for the first time that Edison knew some of its towers at and near the likely ignition point were fire hazards.

As debris removal continues in Altadena, residents eager to learn next steps to rebuild More than two months after the Eaton fire, Altadena residents wonder how long it will take to rebuild their homes, what the process will require and whether they can manage the wait.

2+ months after the Eaton fire tore through Altadena, questions persist for residents eager to get back -- how long will it take to rebuild once they're allowed to, what the process will require and whether they can manage the wait www.latimes.com/california/s...

Metro's Olympics plans rely on federal funding. Will Trump threaten it? As the Trump administration threatens federal funding, Metro is assessing what allocations could be vulnerable and if cuts could affect the 2028 Olympics.

As the Trump administration continues to threaten federal funding, Los Angeles is waiting for millions of allocated dollars to expand Metro’s rail lines and an answer to a multibillion dollar request for the 2028 Olympics www.latimes.com/california/s...

In Altadena, a fight to save the trees that survived the fire The Eaton fire destroyed much of Altadena. Now, residents are fighting to save the trees that survived.

In Altadena, healthy trees that survived the fire have been at risk of removal. Some have already been cut down, tree care experts and residents say.

A look at their mission to save the town's historic canopy

People used to buy homes through catalogs. Could that idea help Altadena? As residents continue to imagine what Altadena’s future could look like after the Eaton fire, dreamers have begun mapping plans inspired by old Sears catalogs.

In the early 20th century, people could buy home kits from Sears catalogs, saving on time and money. Inspired by that model, local architects are mapping out a plan to help Altadena residents rebuild after the fire

Feds won't test soil after L.A. wildfire cleanup, potentially leaving contamination behind In the wake of the Eaton and Palisades fires, Army Corps officials are saying that excavating six inches of topsoil is enough to rid properties of contamination.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it won’t order soil testing at properties charred by the fires. This breaks with a long-standing safeguard to ensure no lingering contamination is left behind after fires, my colleague Tony Briscoe reports: www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com

Edison knew before Eaton fire that cutting power risked igniting blaze, records show Southern California Edison was warned in 2022 that an emergency shutdown could overload power lines that run through Eaton Canyon, increasing the risk of a wildfire, according to public records reviewed by The Times. Planned fixes that experts said would have mitigated the risk were never completed.

Southern California Edison was warned in 2022 that an emergency shutdown could overload power lines that run through Eaton Canyon, increasing the risk of a wildfire, according to public records reviewed by The Times.

In Altadena, a community wrestles with its future: Stay and rebuild, or move on? Altadena's eclecticism and independent spirit drew residents. After the Eaton fire, they face a crossroads over whether to stay and rebuild their community, or leave.

In Altadena, a community wrestles with its future and fights to preserve the sanctity of the town.

"We're not going to get erased."

Stay or go? Residents wonder if Altadena's spirit can survive a rebuild Altadena's eclecticism and independent spirit drew residents. After the Eaton fire, they face a crossroads over whether to stay and rebuild their community, or leave.

Stay or go? For Altadena residents, the decision to rebuild or sell their homes is not always an easy choice.
“How do you rebuild a community like that? It’s not going to be done by people who want to build a homogeneous, monotonous world."
by @cshalby.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/california/s...

Their homes were their legacies. Now they face the unthinkable: What if they can't rebuild? The Eaton fire destroyed thousands of structures in Altadena and Pasadena. Now, residents grapple with how they can afford to rebuild.

The Eaton fire destroyed thousands of homes. As the cleanup phase of recovery begins, Altadena residents are grappling with how to rebuild when questions about cost and timeline loom.

Grateful to all who have shared their stories with me for @latimes.com

National Weather Service issued its most extreme version of a red flag warning. Areas of concern including Altadena and Malibu www.latimes.com/california/s...

Mapping the damage from the Eaton and Palisades fires We're tracking damage assessments from the Eaton and Palisades fires, which destroyed 12,000 structures in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

We mapped the damages from the Eaton and Palisades fires
@latimes.com @sean-greene.bsky.social @cshalby.bsky.social @nohaggerty.bsky.social: www.latimes.com/california/s...